Why Mac Should Never Have a Day Off
by jedimasterstar
Summary: Mac Taylor has to go to the doctor's office due to cold.  While there, he makes a new friend and aids in an evacuation.  Things become more interesting from there. Series of one-shots. Mac/OC.
1. To the Doctor!

**Summary:** Mac Taylor has to go to the doctor's office due to cold. While there, he meets a woman and aids in an evacuation.

**Disclaimer/Claimer:** _CSI: NY _does not belong to me – it belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Stephanie, however, is mine. Please don't use without permission.

**A/N:** This is my first time writing Mac. Let me know how I did! And I know it's short, but I will post Part 2 tomorrow or Thursday.

* * *

Mac Taylor hated going to the doctor's office. Absolutely did not like it. But since Stella is basically threatening his life if he does not go to one to see about this cold he had, he might as well have stayed at home. He wanted to work, but he knew better than to risk his second's wrath. So he came to the doctor.

As he finished up his paperwork, he looked around at other people that were scattered around the waiting room. Mothers were trying to keep their children occupied as they waited for the pediatrician that also practiced in the office; adults reading outdated magazines or talking on their phones; but the one that interested him most was the woman sitting across from him. To his surprise, she was reading an encyclopedia! He had _never _met a person who would read an encyclopedia.

Sensing that she was being watched, she looked up and Mac could not help but realize that she was a beautiful woman. She had long dark brown hair that seemed to compliment her tanned skin. Her pale green eyes sparkled in the light; but it was her smile that captured his eye. That smile seemed to lighten his heart and make him happy. He quickly looked away and got up, taking his paperwork to the reception desk. The older woman behind the desk took it and said, "The nurse will call you back when it's time."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement and went back to his seat. Not paying attention to the woman across from him, he held his head at the sudden dizziness and coughed. "Sounds like a bad cold," said a musical voice.

Realizing that it was the woman, he looked up to see that she was holding out tissue paper. Smiling slightly, he took it and replied, "Am I that obvious?"

She laughed and said, "Just a little. So you the latest victim of this cold going around?"

"Most likely," he answered as he sneezed. "Mac Taylor," he added, "I would shake your hand, but I don't think you want this cold."

She laughed. "Stephanie Ryan," she greeted back.

"What are you here for, Miss Ryan?"

"Please, it's Stephanie. Only my students call me 'Miss Ryan'. And as to what I am in for, I am just getting my quarterly check-up," she replied. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before she asked, "So what do you do for a living, Mr. Taylor?"

He chuckled. No one ever called him 'Mr. Taylor'. "It's Mac. As for my job, I'm a detective with the NYPD and supervisor of the crime lab," he replied.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "A detective, huh? You know, now that you mention it, you do look familiar. You're the detective who single-handily stopped the mob or someone from stealing its cash or drugs back from the department," she said, frustration evident in her voice. "Damn it, I wish I can remember which."

"Don't try," he mumbled. Mac really did not like be reminded of that. They keep saying that he was a hero when he was not. Or at least he did not feel like one.

Curious, Stephanie asked, "Don't like the 'hero' status, I assume?" When he did not answer, she just smiled at him. "Fine, I won't mention it again; but…" That was all she got out before alarms began to sound.

Mac and Stephanie looked up at the blaring sound as a nurse ran into the waiting room. "Sorry, ladies and gentlemen," she said, panic evident in her voice, "but we need you to evacuate the building immediately!"

Flashing his badge, Mac asked, "What happened?"

"We don't know. Something happened upstairs in one of the chemistry offices. Whatever it was caused someone to pull the fire alarm."

Thinking for a moment, Mac then ordered, "Get everyone outside and call the police." The nurse nodded and did as she was told. He then grabbed his coat and turned to Stephanie. "Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her with him.


	2. Chair Fun

This chapter is a little awkward. The chair scene is a little weird.

I hope you all enjoy! Please let me know if I could have done better or did well!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Mac Taylor or _CSI: NY_. Just Stephanie and this weird chapter.

* * *

After leaving the office, Mac and Stephanie ran for the elevator but found out that it was not working due to the automatic shutdown. They instead ran for the stairs; but they only went down a couple of floors when they found out what the real problem was. "I told you to make sure that everyone was dead!" yelled an angry voice from above them.

Looking up, the duo saw four men five floors up with a large container. "Please don't tell me that what I think it could be," she whispered.

"More than likely," replied Mac as he felt the sudden urge to cough.

Noticing the look on his face, Stephanie realized what he was trying not to do. She promptly began to rub his back, hoping that that would do the trick. It was not – and the detective coughed so loudly that it startled even her.

The men above them jumped and the tallest one began to look around. Spotting them, he pointed and ordered, "Shoot them!" Two of the men opened fire, the bullets ricocheting off the metal handle bars. One barely missed Stephanie's head by an inch. "That was close," she muttered as she looked at the bullet hole in the wall.

Grabbing her hand, Mac led her farther down the flights of stairs. They made it to the third floor before he dragged her through the door. He immediately used a broom from a utility closet to block the door. "What are you doing?" asked Stephanie as she followed him down the hallway.

"Figuring out a way to stop them from taking that canister," he replied as he opened doors. So far, he had only found offices. But it gave him an idea… "They think that the building should be empty now."

"Except for us."

"Except for us," he agreed, "which means that we need to find a way to stop them."

"Especially since they saw us and we saw them. They'll just come after us," she observed. Fear was evident in her voice, though Mac admired the way she was trying to hide it. "So, what are we going to do?" she asked.

Looking around, he replied, "Start grabbing chairs." As the young woman began to grab chairs, he began to look for some kind of strong string. "Just put one in each doorway in the offices farthest from the stairwell," he ordered.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

"A simple push and pull effect," he answered. There were thirty administrative offices, so they put chairs in eight of them – four on each side. Mac then tied the string to each arm of the chair, leaving enough at each end for he and Stephanie to pull. They then grabbed extra chairs and put them by them. When they heard the door about to be broken down, they each ran into a room opposite each other and waited.

As the door broke open, they heard one man order, "Find them! They have to be here!" As they began to run down the hall, for some reason intent on starting on the opposite end of the hall, one of them said, "Boss? Something is wrong here. There are chairs in the doorways."

As they looked around, slightly confused, Mac nodded his head and the two ran out of their hiding places, string held firmly in their hands. Hearing running, the leader said, "After them!" But they never got that far. Mac and Stephanie were running so fast that the chairs proved slightly faster than their pursuers. Most of the men fell to the ground, others stumbling to stay on their feet. In response, the duo began to roll the extra chairs at them.

In the end, the only one left on his feet was the leader, the canister still firmly in his hands. He reached for the cap and said, "If I can't kill everyone, you two will have to do."

Mac immediately pulled out his gun and ordered, "Don't even think it!"

"Too late," the man retorted as he twisted the cap off.

In response, Mac grabbed Stephanie's hand and yelled, "Run!" They both immediately ran back into the stairwell. Sprinting down to the final few stairs, they ran out the emergency door into the waiting arms of SWAT officers. "Seal the building," Mac ordered, "they just let loose some kind of toxin into the air." The men sprang into action, leaving the two alone.

"Do you think their dead?" she asked.

Leading her toward the paramedics, he replied, "More than likely they are unconscious. They'll be well enough to stand trial."

As they walked over to the ambulances, they heard someone yell, "Mac!" The person in question turned to see a curly haired woman running towards them. "Mac! Are you alright?" asked Stella Bonasera.

"I'm fine, Stella," answered Mac.

She shook her head. "I can't get you to go anywhere without getting into trouble," she teased. Stephanie just laughed.

Realizing that she was still there, Mac said, "Stella, this is Stephanie Ryan, my…impromptu partner in this escapade. Stephanie, this is Detective Stella Bonasera, my partner at the Crime Lab."

The two women shook hands. "Nice to meet you," said Stella.

"Likewise," replied Stephanie. Turning to Mac, she said, "We probably need to go get checked out. At least make sure we didn't inhale anything."

Mac nodded as Stella asked, "Inhale what?"

"Robbers were trying to steal some kind of toxin from one of the upstairs labs. We managed to get out before the toxin could really do anything," he explained. With that, he ushered the younger woman into an ambulance.

* * *

_A couple weeks later_

After the incident, Mac found out that the robbers were part of an Irish gang that was trying to make a name for itself. And that he and Stephanie managed to stop them from stealing botox, which can be used to create botulism. All the men survived and would be standing trial, though the leader swore vengeance on Mac and Stephanie. _Better not tell her that_, he thought. He did not want to worry her.

But that aside, he was in a happy mood. After exchanging numbers with the green-eyed woman, he managed to get up the nerve to call her and ask her on a date. He was proud when she agreed. Friday was date night and he had no idea what to do. "You look deep in thought," came a feminine voice.

Looking up, he saw that Stella had slipped in unheard. "Just thinking," he replied with a smile.

"Does it involve brown hair and green eyes?"

He sighed. "I asked Stephanie to go on a date Friday night; but I have no idea what to take her to," he explained.

All Stella did was smile and say, "You'll think of something and I'm sure she'll love it." With that, she turned and left, leaving Mac to this thoughts. _Maybe there is something_, he thought as he turned back to his paperwork.


	3. Dinner and a Movie

**Summary:** Mac goes on his first date in years. He is nervous about it. Will it turn out alright?

**Disclaimer/Claimer:** _CSI: NY _does not belong to me – it belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Stephanie, however, is mine. As well as Nyx. Please don't use without permission.

**A/N: **There is some _Doctor Who _references in here. Mostly because my series is based in Pete's World. For those who don't know what I am talking about, just look up _Doctor Who_ – Pete's World is from the 2005 revival. There is also a reference to _Iron Man_ in here also. Just so you know!

**A/N2:** This may seem kinda lame, but I'm not that good at writing dating fics. I await advice from you all.

* * *

It was Friday night and Mac was nervous. First off, he never went out on a Friday night – he usually either worked or stayed at home. Not tonight – tonight he was doing something that he had not since Peyton left a couple of years ago. He was going on a date.

And that was what he was making him nervous. He wanted to make sure Stephanie had a good time; but he also did not want to ruin it. He had never had much luck in the relationship department since Claire died. He had made it a bad habit of comparing every woman to Claire. He did not do it much during his relationship with Peyton; but deep down, Mac knew that it would have never worked.

So, for his night with Stephanie, he was going to take her to dinner and to a movie. Maybe also to the jazz club – that would be nice. Now all he needed to do was get ready to pick her up. _Can't go looking like I just came off of work_, he thought as he looked through his closet.

He ended up wearing black pants and a burgundy dress shirt. He wanted to be as casual as possible but not too casual. _I'm turning into a woman,_ he thought as he looked at the mirror one last time before he grabbed his keys and left his apartment. What had him thinking was – _What about after tonight?_

* * *

He arrived at her apartment around 7:30. Knocking on her door, he waited patiently for her to answer it. "Coming!" came the feminine voice from the other side of the door. He watched as Stephanie opened the door and said, "Mac! You're early! Come in." She motioned for him to enter.

As he walked in, he noticed that her apartment had a warm, welcoming feeling to it. He looked around the living room, taking note of the light blue walls; black leather furniture and black coffee table; and the plasma TV hanging off the wall. He then turned to look at her. Stephanie had her wavy brown hair down; and her light blue with black floral print seemed to highlight her green eyes. She finished off the outfit with black slacks and sandals. "Nice place," he complimented, though he was mostly looking at her than the living room.

"Thanks. I'm not much into decorating; so I just put together what I thought looked good," she said as she grabbed her purse. "But I should warn you that I have a cat. She's currently hiding at the moment but she has deemed herself my bodyguard," she warned.

"A cat?"

"Her name's Nyx. She's a black cat, so I thought the name suited her," she replied. "Are we ready?"

"If you are," he replied. He opened the door for her and walked out behind her, allowing her the chance to lock her door. They then entered the elevator and began their night.

* * *

Mac took her to a small Italian restaurant that Stella usually treated the gang at work. It was small, but it was elegant. "I like this," commented Stephanie as they were shown to their table.

Mac smiled. He was hoping she would. "I heard about this place from a friend of mine. It was either this or a Greek restaurant," he told her.

"I would have been happy either way," she said as she looked around. After ordering some wine, they then ordered their food – Mac got shrimp alfredo while Stephanie ordered chicken parmesan with spaghetti. "So, I guess this is where we find out more about ourselves," she said. "You want to start, or should I?"

He laughed. "You don't go out much, do you?" he asked.

"Not if I can help it. But I will say this, I am enjoying the company," she answered with a smile. Mac worked hard to fight the blush that was threatening to show. She laughed and said, "I'm not from the city. So I rather just stay at home and not get lost."

"Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles," she replied.

"And you came to New York because…" Mac trailed off, not really knowing how to phrase his question.

"Work. I was offered a position at Adams Academy, a boarding school here in the city."

"What do you teach?"

"World history and mythology. What about you? Are you from New York?" she asked. The waitress then showed up with their food.

"Chicago, actually. I moved to New York after retiring from the military," replied Mac as he accepted his plate.

"You were in the military?" asked Stephanie.

"Marines," he clarified. They ate in friendly silence until he asked, "What really prompted you to leave LA?"

She sighed. "That obvious, huh? In truth, my cousin was getting on my nerves. Now, I love him; but sometimes, he can be a handful," she told him.

"Your cousin?"

"The always wonderful Tony Stark," Stephanie replied sarcastically. "Note that I said _always wonderful_ sarcastically."

Mac looked at her in shock. "You're related to Tony Stark? The billionaire arms dealer?"

"Former arms dealer," she corrected. "He's trying to improve his image since his return from Afghanistan."

"Still." He just could not believe that he was on a date with Stark's cousin. "Any other relatives I should know about?" he asked.

"Two older brothers that I don't get along with as well as my parents. Besides Tony, I have four other cousins, children of my mother's younger brother William. The only one of those four I get along with is my cousin Ella. Real name's Elizabeth, but we all call her Ella. She lives in London right now, about to start working for Torchwood. Though how that fits in with her career as an archaeologist, I don't know," she replied. She looked up at him and asked, "What about your family?"

"My father died years ago. My mother, two brothers, and sister still live in Chicago, but I hardly talk to them anymore. We had a bad falling out years ago."

"Believe me, after thirty years with my family, I am glad for a break," she told him.

"You're thirty?" asked Mac. Now he felt old. What was he doing on a date with someone so young.

"Yep, and proud of it. How old are you?"

"Forty-six," he answered as he began to feel uncomfortable.

Noticing his nervousness, she smiled and said, "I don't care about age. Besides, I like older men. They have more manners and experience." That made him feel slightly more comfortable. "So, were you ever married?" she asked.

"Once. She died in the 9/11 attacks."

Stephanie's face turned to sadness as she said, "Oh, Mac, I'm sorry. I should not have asked."

He smiled at her and said, "It's alright. You didn't know. I have recently come to terms with it, so it doesn't hurt as much."

"Still," she said. As they began to eat their dessert, they began to talk about all sorts of topics – weather differences, politics, crime rate, and, interestingly, if the new experimental plan was safer than the current zeppelins. "I hate zeppelin travel," she told him, "I rather give the new plane a try than to fly that helium death trap."

"If you want," he told her. When they were finished, Mac paid the bill and they left. "What movie are you interested in seeing?" he asked her as they drove to the theater.

"I heard that the new _Percy Jackson_ movie is good," replied Stephanie. He nodded; and when they arrived at the theater, he paid for tickets to see the movie. As the previews began to roll, he smiled when he felt her put her head on his shoulder. _So far, so good_, he thought. _But after tonight?_

* * *

When they left the theater, Stephanie laughed. "It's creepy but funny that the actress who played Athena looks so much like Stella," she said.

Mac glared at her and said, "It's not funny." When the council room scene came on, Mac was severely startled by the actress. But his date thought it was funny.

"Oh, lighten up. Where to next? The night's still young," she pointed out as they reached his SUV.

"I was thinking about going to a jazz club that I usually play at," he answered.

"You play?"

"Bass guitar."

"Then you'll have to play for me sometime," said Stephanie.

When they reached the club, Mac pulled into a parking space designated for him. "One of the perks of being one of the club's main guitarists," he explained as he helped her out. She smiled and allowed him to led her in.

As he looked around the busy club, Mac knew that something may happen. "We may not be alone," he commented.

"Obviously," she retorted.

He shook his head. "Not what I meant," he corrected as they walked in. Noticing a group of familiar people sitting at a table in the corner, he looked at her and smiled. "How about meeting a few people?" he asked as he led her through the crowd. "But, before we meet them, I need to ask this – what is going to happen after tonight?" he asked.

Stephanie smiled and said, "I have had a wonderful time with you. I was hoping that after tonight I would be seeing you more often."

He returned her smile and said, "After tonight then?"

"After tonight."


End file.
